Stability of the collinear spin structure of γ-manganese

The bandstructure of antiferromagnetic gamma -manganese was recently calculated using the local spin functional approach and assuming, as is usual, as simple collinear spin configuration. This paper investigates the stability of this spin configuration with respect to the formation of a multiple spin density wave corresponding to a tetrahedral spin arrangement which also agrees with present experiments. The calculations which use the linear response theory within the local spin density functional approach show that the collinear spin arrangement is indeed unstable, thus favouring the multiple spin density wave as the ground-state configuration of antiferromagnetic gamma -Mn.